KATHMADNU, August 13

The Council of Ministers on Thursday recommended President Ram Baran Yadav to appoint Lieutenant General Rajendra Chhetri as new Chief of Army Staff.

The Cabinet recommended Chhetri’s name for the post to be effective from September 10, when incumbent CoAS Gaurav SJB Rana’s three years’ stint as the country’s head of army completes, according to Minendra Rijal, Minister for Information and Communications.

Lieutenant General Chhetri has assumed responsibility as acting chief of the army after General Rana went on customary leave one month prior to his retirement on August 10.

Likewise, the cabinet also accepted the resignation tendered by Secretary of Ministry of Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation Shreedhar Gautam and Secretary (Revenue) at the Ministry of Finance Nawaraj Bhandari from their respective posts. Gautam was in the fray for post of chief secretary before the appointment of Somlal Subedi as chief secretary last week.

According to Minister Rijal, the Cabinet also decided to accept the support pledged by Government of China, Asian Development Bank and World Bank for reconstruction of the country devastated by the April 25 earthquake.

Ramji Regmi, a retired officer of Nepal Rastra Bank has been appointed as the new Chair of Nepal Stock Exchange Limited.

Meanwhile, the government took a decision to observe January 15 as National Yoga Day. Minister Rijal said that Nepal has been marking National Yoga Day on January 15 since 1980.